The first signs of spring are upon us which means wedding season is fast approaching. Now is the time many photographers and video makers start making preparations for their busiest time of the year. Exciting things like new equipment, software and setting diary dates are high on the preparation list. Unfortunately, insurance is often bypassed for the more ‘interesting’ things. However, this is one of the first things which should be considered to avoid any upset and commercial losses.

On a basic level you’ll need three types of insurance as a wedding photographer – equipment cover, public liability (PL) and professional indemnity (PI). Many wedding venues will ask for proof of PL cover before you start work on their premises – it will keep you safe should any guests or members of the public get hurt as a result of work you are doing. For example, if you leave your camera bag on a pathway and a wedding guest trips over it, you won’t be landed with a compensation claim against you for injury incurred.

PI insurance covers your liability to produce work of a certain professional standard. So if a client argues the images you took aren’t up to standards, it’s likely you could be liable. In addition, if you lose your memory card, or your backup software fails through no fault of your own causing you to lose all your images, blame will land on you. This type of cover is particularly important for one-off occasions such as weddings, as it’s unlikely you will be able to shoot replacement images following the event, unless you set up a replica event which would involve huge financial implications.  Other types of photography insurance could be required depending on the nature of your business and whether this is the main source of your livelihood. Things you might need to consider are personal accident, employee liability and crisis containment cover.

On a final note, it’s not just your insurance you should be worrying about. It’s also worth asking if the couple have wedding insurance. What if you’ve turned down other jobs to shoot a full day at a wedding, and then the day is cancelled and you lose a full day’s work as a result? You should ensure you have a contract in place with the happy couple from the outset to ensure you are financially protected.

As always, to discuss any of these points further, don’t hesitate to contact a member of the InFocus team.